Bert baeeett



(No Model.)

G. G. HALE A. BARRETT-8'6 J. ZENT NER GOMBINED FIRE ALARM AND TELEPHONE TELEGRAPH.

Patented Nov. 13; 1888.

lllllmw 'ra'rns GEORGE O. HALE, ALBERT BARRETT,

ATENT rrrcn AND JOSEPH ZENTNER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of ilettersl atent No. 392,604, dated November 13, 1888.

Application filed June 2'1, 1885.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that we, Gnonen O. I'IALE, AL- BERT BARRETT, and JosEPH ZENTNER, citizens of the United States, residing at Kansas City,

5 in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improve mentsin Combined Fire-Alarm and Telephone Telegraph; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the i11- I0 vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form 15 a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to a system of firealarm and telephone telegraph; and it consists of the combination of devices and novel construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Our invention contemplates a novel system of firealarm and telephone telegraph by which an alarm of iire can be quickly and correctly turned into firedepartment headquarters from 2 5 any one of a series of telephone subscribers stations without interrupting or employing the usual lines to exchange or central otfice.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram of our invention, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the device for throwing the subscribers telephone apparatus into the fire-alarm circuit and simultaneously cutting said telephone apparatus out of the em change-circuit.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures, A designates the ordinary iire-alarm circuit, and B B the wires of the exchange-circuit leading to a central oflice.

O designates a series of subscribers telephone apparatus which are normally included in the exchangecircuits B, and are adapted to be cut out of said circuit and thrown into the fire-alarm circuit A, in the manner pres- 5 ently described, for quickly sending an alarm of fire to fire-department headquarters, (represented at D.) Each telephone apparatusOis thrown into the fire-alarm circuit by a switch E. (Shown in detail in Fig. 20f the drawings.) 50 The switch is pivoted at one end, as at c, to a Serial No. 278,340. (No model.)

suitable support, and a spring,e,serves to pull the free end of the switch against a contact, 6 with which is connected the exchangedine B. The switch is further connected to the te1ephone apparatus G by a wire, 0, and said ap 5 5 paratus G has a ground-connection, c.

It will be noticed that each telephone apparatus is normally included in the exchangecircuit B by reason of the switch being connected with said apparatus and the spring 6 holding the switch against the contact 6 with which the wires of the exchange-circuit are connected, whereby the subscriber can communicate with the exchange or central office without disturbing or affecting the fire alarm circuit. 011 the opposite side of the switch E is another contact, 1'', which is connected in circuit with a magnet, F, which is in turn connected with the fire-alarm circuit A by a wire, f. This magnet is arranged in juxtaposition to the switch E on the same side thereof as the contact f, so as to hold said switch against the contactf when the magnet is en ergized bya current from a battery included in the iirealarm circuit, the switch thus serving as an armature to the magnet.

1n the particular form of switch herein shown and described as an embodiment of our invention for cutting the telephone apparatus 7 out of one circuit and throwing it into another we have provided an operating-lever, G, which is pivoted on one side of the switch,and when said lever is operated to overcome the tension of the retracting-spring e the switch is moved away from the contact 6 of the eXchange-circuit to the contact f of the firealarm circuit; and we have also provided a registering de- Vice, H, by which each alarm turned in from any one subscribers station is automatically recorded. In Fig. 2 of the drawings. this reg- 9o ister H is shown as a toothed wheel, it, having a series of numerals on its exposed face and a feeding-pawl, h, pivotally connected to the switch E and arranged to successively engage the teeth of the numbered wheel to feed the latter one step or notch each time an alarm is sent to fire-departmentheadquarters from one of the subscribers stations. By the use of the registering mechanism the subscribers station from which a false alarm of fire has been sent to headquarters D can be readily ascertained from among a large number of such stations on a single circuit, A, as well as the number of alarms turned in from each station.

The telephone apparatus by which the attendant at fire-department headquarters can communicate orally with any one of the outlying subscribers stations on the circuit A is represented by the letters I I, and it is normally cutoifsaid firealarm circuit by a switch, 3, which normally rests on one of two contacts, jj, arranged in such close juxtaposition that the switch must make connection with one contact before leaving the other. An annunciator, K, and a magnet, L, are also included in the fire-alarm circuit at headquarters D, the armature l of the magnet being included in a local circuit. M, having an audible alarm mechanism, M1, and a local battery for energizing the local circuit when the armature Z of the magnet L is attracted by the latter.

N is the primary battery for energizing the fire-alarm circuit, which battery is located at iirc-department headquarters and included in a shunt-circuit, I. A key, 0, is also included in this shunt-circuit, by depressing which the attendant at headquarters can close said circuit 1? and shunt the current from the primary battery around said circuit, and thus demagnetize the magnet F, which allows the spring 0 to draw the switch E away from the contact f and against the contact 0 thereby cutting the telephone apparatus out of the alarm-circuit and again interposing it in the exchangecircuit.

The operation of our invention is as follows: lVhen one of the subscribers from an outlying station, 0, on the circuit A desires to turn in an alarm to iiredepartment headquarters, it is only necessary to depress the lever G and thus force the switch from the contact 0 to the contact f, thereby cutting the telephone apparatus out of the exchange-circuit. As the switch closes against the contact f, the circuit between the subscribers station and headquarters is closed and a current from the primary battery N traverses the fire-alarm circuit and energizes the magnet F to hold the switch or armature E in contact therewith. This current also passes through the switch J the contact], and the magnet L, thus energizing the latter and attracting the armature thereof to close the local circuit M and sound an audible alarm to notify the attendant that a person at one of the subscribers stations on the circuit A desires to communicate with him. The attendant turns the switch J from the contact j to the contactj, which thus diverts the current from the primary battery through the telephone apparatus I 1 and releases the aununciator K. and the magnet L, the armature Z of which is released and opens the local circuit to stop the audible-alarm mechanism. The attendant can now communicate with the person at the subscribers station, who notifies the operator at headquarters of the exact location of the fire, after which the attendant releases the subscribers telephone apparatus from the circuit A by simply depressing the key 0 to shunt the current from the primary battery around the shunt-circuit, and thus demagnetize the magnet F and release the switch,which is automatically thrown from the contact f to the contact 6 and thereby thrown into the exchangingcircuit by the retracting-spring e.

Of course it will be understood that two or more circuits A may run into fire-department headquarters,eaeh of which has an an nunciator and a switch corresponding to the switch J and the two contactsjj therefor, the primary battery N and the local-alarm circuit serving for all the circuits leading to headquarters.

Our invention obviates the loss of time and annoyance of the method of communicating with fire-department headquarters at present in vogue, where the person at the subscribers station is compelled to wait until-the operator at central oilice answers his call and then transmits the message through the operator to headquarters, who is liable to make an error in transmitting the message and may take some time if the lines are in use, as the subscriber can at once directly communicate with headquarters and give the operator there the exact location and nature of the fire. No separate key or other implement is required to turn in an alarm. The number ofstations is increased, from which direct communication with headquarters can be had to advise the department of the existence of a fire, and as the switch Eis released from the contact f by operating the key 0 at headquarters D it is obvious that a subscriber cannot disconnect his telephone apparatus from the fire-alarm circuit, which enables the operator to hold the subscriber until he ascertains all necessaryinformation, To further accomplish this latter end, which is in some respects important, we contemplate inclosing the switch and magnet in a suitable ease or box to which access cannot be readily had.

Should the fire-alarm circuit become disarranged or get out of order,the subscriber still remains in communication with central office, by which an alarm can be sent in,according to the old method.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- A 1. In a combined system of alarm and tele phone telegraph, the combination, with the independent fire-alarm and exchange circuits and a subscribers telephone apparatus, of a switch normally holding said telephone apparatus in circuit with the exchange or central oifice and adapted to throw said apparatus in the alarm-circuit, said switch having returnconneetions to telephone central office and firedepartment headquarters, and contacts connecting, respectively, with the exchange circuit and the fire-alarm circuit, whereby the ICO IIO

subscriber can communicate directly with firedepartment headquarters, substantially as described.

2. In a combined system of alarm and telephone telegraph, the combination, with the independent alarm and exchange circuits and a telephone apparatus normally included in the exchange-circuit, of a switch for cutting said telephone apparatus out of the exchange-circuit and throwing it into the alarm-circuit, said switch having return-connections to telephone central office and firedepartment headquarters, and contacts connecting, respectively, with the exchange-circuit and the firealarm circuit, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a combined system of alarm and telephone telegraph, the combination, with the independent alarm and exchange circuits, of a series of telephonic apparatus normally included in the exchange-circuits, and a like series of manual switches each having an independent connection with the alarm-circuit and adapted to interpose at will any of the telephone apparatuses into the alarm-circuit, each of said manual switches having return-connections to telephone central ofiice and fire-department headquarters, and contacts connecting, respectively, with the exchange circuit and lire-alarm circuit, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4-. In a combined system of fire-alar1n and telephone telegraph, the combination,with the exchangecircuit, a normally-charged alarmeircuit, and an outlying telephone apparatus, of a switch connected with said outlying telephone apparatus and normally included in the exchange-circuit, a magnet, F, also included in the alarm-circuit, an independent telephone apparatus located at fire-department headquarters and normally excluded from the alarmcircuit, and a primary battery for energizing the alarm circuit and the magnet therein when the switch and the outlying telephone apparatus have been interposed in the alarm-circuit, and thereby retain said switch and telephone apparatus in said alarm-circuit until the currentl'rom said battery has been diverted from the alarm-circuit by a suitable key, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a combined system of alarm and telcphone telegraph, the combination, with an alarm-circuit, an exchange-circuit, and an outlying telephone apparatus, of a switch -for interposing said outlying apparatusin the alarmcircuit, another telephone apparatus at fire-department headquarters and normally excluded from the alarm-circuit, a magnet, L, included in the alarm-circuit, a local circuit having an audible-alarm mechanism, and the armature of the magnet L, and a switch, J, for cutting the local circuit out of the alarm-circuit and interposing the telephone apparatus at fire-department headquarters in said alarm-circuit, substantially as described.

6. In a combined system of alarm and telephone telegraph, the combination,with an exchange-circuit and an outlying telephone apparatus normally included therein,of an alarmcircuit including a separate telephone apparatus and a switch, E, for cutting said outlying telephone apparatus out of the exchange circuit and simultaneously interposing the out lying telephone apparatus in the alarm-circuit, said switch having return-connections to telephone central office and fire-department headquarters, and contacts connecting, respectively, with the exchange-circuit and firealarm circuit, substantially as described.

7. In a combined system of alarm and telephone telegraph, the combiuation,witl1 an ex change-circuit and an outlying telephone apparatus, of an alarm-circuit having a separate telephone apparatus included therein, :a switch for interposing the outlying telephone apparatus in the alarm-circuit, a magnet included in the alarm-circuit for holding the switch in the latter circuit when said magnet is energized, and a key included in a shunt-circuit for shunting the current from a battery of the alarm-circuit and demagnetizing the magnet to release the switch, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. In a combined system of firealarm and telephone telegraph, the combination,with an cxchangecircuit and an outlying telephone apparatus, of an alarm-circuit having a separate telephone apparatus included therein, a manual switch for interposing the outlying telephone apparatus in the alarm-circuit, and registering mechanism operated by the switch for recording each call from the outlying station to headquarters, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony-whereof we affix our signatures in presence o'l' two witnesses.

GEORGE G. HALE. ALBERT BARRETT. JOSEPH ZENTNER. Wi tn esses:

J AMES Baron, R. A. FEINEMAU. 

